Elevator-door-operating means.



S. 'B. DOUSE.

ELEVATOR DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY29. 1917.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

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Be it known that I, STEPHEN B. DoUsn, a citizen of Vthe UnitedStates, residing at Salina,`i'n the county of Saline and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Imprcvements in Elevator-Door-Operating Means; and I do d eclare the i'ollow'ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such a's will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to malte andv use the" same. Y

My invention relates more particularly" to' the automatic opening and closing of the doors leading from the several floors of buildings into the elevatorv shafts thereof, the object being to provide. an extremely simple and inexpensive arrangement of parts for automatically opening the doors as the elevator car approaches the respective levels thereof and for then permitting said doors to close as the car moves above or below said levels.

With the foregoing general obj ect in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of an elevator shaft and a side elevation of an elevator therein, showing the application of the invention, one of the doors being illustrated in open position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the manner in which the door lifter is automatically released; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 3 3 showing one manner in which the lifter releasing cams may be mounted in the shaft.

ln the drawing above brieiiy described, the numeral 1 has reference to an elevator shaft leading through the several floors 2 of a building, vertically sliding doors 3 being provided for normally closing the doorways 4c at the several iioors. Preferably, though not necessarily, the doors 3 are provided with weights 5 connected thereto by cables 6 and substantially balancing said doors, the latter being slightly heavier than the weights, however, in order that they may close by gravity.

The lower edges of all the doors 3 with the exception of those at the extreme upper Specification of Letters Patent. @ich appi'ieanoalaieariay 29, ieri. seran nvlvira.- Y y and lower ends of the shaft, njotshown, are

provided with inwardly extending-projections 7 adapted te be` struck-y by a laterally projecting nose' S` on a dc'or lifte'riQ carried lay theelcvatcr car 10,-said lifter being shown-,in the f-o-rinfof a verticallyA disposed lever ful-'crmned between its; ends to the car as shown 'at 11, the nose 8 being locatedy abover said fu-lcrum; and aicoiledtrspringvlQ being connected with the lower end of the lever toxno-rnral'ly so position: the latter as tol maintain said nose in projected operative position for contact with the projections 7 as the car ascends. A U-shaped stop 13 is provided with its arms in the path of the lower end of the lever 9 to limit the action of the spring and to prevent rocking of the lever an excessive amount as it en-v gages the projections 7 and the cams, yet to be described7 during the descent of the car.

The upper end of lever 9 is provided with a laterally extending shoe 14 for engagement with a vertical cam 15 mounted in the shaft 1 in any preferred manner, it being the office of said cam and shoe to so shift the lever 9 as to retract its nose 8 from the projection 7 as the car 10 rises above the level of the door which has previously been opened by said nose.

In operation, as the elevator ascends, the

`nose 8 will strike the projections 7 of the several doors and will thus successively open said doors and hold them in open position until the car rises above the level thereof. When this takes place, however, the adjacent cam 15 and the shoe 14 coact to release said nose 8 from engagement with the door, whereupon the latter lowers by gravity. When the car is descending, the shoe 14 and cam 15 roclr the lever 9 to an inoperative position and thus prevent the nose 8 from contacting with the projections 7. It is necessary for the car to be traveling upwardly before any of the doors, with the exception of the lowermost (not shown) can be opened thereby.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it. will be obvious that although the invention is of simple and inexpensive nature, it will behighly efficient and will well perform the functions for which it is designed. In fact, the particular construction shown and described has been for several months in actual use and is proving satisfactory in all respects. On account of its proven merit,

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this construction constitutes the preferred form of the improved operating means, but

' it is to be understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made without sacrificing the principal advantages.

I claim:

In combination, an elevator, shaft, an elevator car mounted in said shaft, an upwardly opening door from said shaft hav ing a projection extending into said shaft, a vertical lever ulcrumed between its ends on one side of the car and having,` above its ulcrum an upwardly facing shoulder formed on its' front edge for engagement with the lower side of said projection when the car ascends, the front edge of said lever incliningupwardly and outwardly to said shoulder for Jfree sliding' over' said projection when the car descends, a spring connected to the lower end 'of the lever for moving` it to operative position, a laterally extending vertically disposed shoe carried by said lever above its fulcrum and beveled at both its upper and lower ends, and a vertically elongated cam Xed in the elevator shaft for engagement with said shoe to red lease said shoulder from engagement with said projection.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set 3o my hand in .the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN B. DOUSE. Wlitnesses n Louis G. Go'rTscHroK, F. D. BLUNDoN.

Copies o this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, E. G, 

